Discount cards arrive on campus

Yale College Council representative Casey Moriarty ’05 has been busy trying to save you money.

Moriarty and other YCC members will begin distributing free Student Savings Club cards to all students, faculty and staff today. The card lists 28 participating local stores and the specific discounts Yale community members can obtain with a flash of the card.

Participating merchants are mostly restaurants, including Naples Pizza and Restaurant and Yorkside Pizza and Restaurant, but Yalies can also expect discounts on clothing, copy services and haircuts.

The cards are the work of the Student Savings Club, a division of Moriarty’s uncle’s company, Collegiate Services, Inc. Student Savings Club Program Director Lisa Dean said the cards can save regular users about $1,000 per year. She said the typical merchant pays a flat fee of “no more than $250″ to appear on the card but gets to decide for itself the extent of the discount.

Moriarty said he thinks students, faculty and staff will be enthusiastic about the program.

“The only way it could not be a success is if we failed to get [the cards] out to the Yale population,” Moriarty said.

Yale College Assistant Dean Philip Greene said he hopes the program will benefit not only students, but also local vendors.

Moriarty said he expects businesses to earn a net profit from the cards.

“We’re expecting the businesses who signed up for this program to see an increase in business because the cards are going to be delivered to the entire Yale community,” Moriarty said.

Subway Profit Building Coordinator Roland Joseph said he advised four Subway franchises in New Haven to participate in the program. Joseph said after meeting with the store owners he called Dean to arrange Subway’s participation. He said the owners wanted to become “more involved with Yale.”

Each card is good for a year, after which merchants will have to renew their agreement in order to remain on the card. Programs at other schools have gotten bigger after a year, Dean said, so more stores may appear on next year’s card.

Moriarty said a school-wide YCC e-mail will explain how to pick up a card.

Current distribution plans include placing cards next to the “swipe machine” in dining halls and handing them to students at men’s hockey and basketball games, Moriarty said. He said he will also work with the Graduate and Professional Student Senate to distribute the cards. Moriarty said he hopes to include cards with Yale employees’ pay stubs.

Moriarty said the Student Savings Club is likely to make a donation to the YCC for its involvement.

“They’ve been very positive about it,” Moriarty said. “The dollar amount is still up in the air, but I’m almost certain we’ll get a donation.”

YCC President Elliott Mogul ’05 said YCC members informally solicited student input about which vendors students wanted on the card.

The Student Savings Club Web site lists Yale as the only Connecticut school involved in the program.

Stephanie Dziczek

A student strolls by Yorkside on Feb. 9. Yorkside is one of the many eateries among the 28 local businesses participating in the Student Savings Club card, which will be distributed free today.